


I wanted to build a family with you

by silentghosts



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, living the miscommunication trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:14:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4809314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentghosts/pseuds/silentghosts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack never wanted kids, until one day he did. While Bitty always did, until he thought it wasn't an option. </p>
<p>aka - No one actually hates kids, Jack and Bitty just live in the miscommunications trope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I wanted to build a family with you

**Author's Note:**

> This is being uploaded today as an apology to [Kim](http://betsytheoven.tumblr.com) for what I just pulled on twitter. Have some fluff ? or at least as fluffy as anything I ever write gets.

Jack had never liked kids, growing up he had only really interacted with his cousins, and the kids of other Habs players. When he started playing hockey himself he never really made friends, always singled out as Zimmerman's kid and put on a pedestal that made people detest him, once he started school he was just that weird kid whose dad played hockey and who read too much, but Jack didn’t mind hockey was all that mattered anyway.

 

Much later when Jack first joined the NHL he would always get chirped by his teammates after signing events over how awkward and uncomfortable he looked with children, at first it was because he was terrified of dropping someone's baby, then it was because he spent way too long phrasing what to say to each and every kid who came up with wide eyes to ask “can I get a picture please Mr. Zimmermann” and finally what even is the appropriate reaction to a four year old throwing themselves at your leg and refusing to let go. However as the years moved on Jack learnt to handle signings with almost military precision, he held babies in a way that made for the perfect photo, had a long list of pre-prepared motivational words of wisdom for the wide eyed future hockey stars and learnt that some kids are just going to try and stick to you like glue.

 

Somewhere between Jack's first year in the NHL during which him and Bitty started dating and Jack spent far too many a skype session after signings complaining about the kids “One of them sneezed on me today Bits, sneezed! If I miss playoffs because of some kids inability to cover their face when they sneeze I don’t know what I will do”, and trying to hold back grimaces when Bitty and him were in town and he could hear the unmistakable sound of children's shrieks heading in his direction and just generally trying to avoid interaction with people under 5 foot, Jack had grown to like children.

 

The only problem with this was Bitty didn’t, well at least Jack assumed Bitty didn’t for someone who was very open about his feelings Bitty had never once hinted at children in their past 5 years of being together, not when then got engaged, not when they got married, never.

 

Jack didn’t know how to bring it up, like he wanted kids, but Bitty bitty seemed to hate the idea. Sighing as he walked past the baby food aisle to catch up to Bitty who had immediately taken off in the direction of the baking goods the second the step foot in the stall, Jack heard whispers. The type of whispers that when you're a professional hockey player mean you have been recognise, glancing around surreptitiously Jack spotted two young boys with eyes as wide as saucers frantically glancing between him and their mother before sending them a huge grin and prompting a clatter of limbs as they rushed towards him as fast as their legs would carry them.

 

“Mr. Zimmermann, you're my favourite -”

 

“He’s lying you're my favourite, your Sam’s second favourite but” the taller overruled, causing a grin to break out on Jack’s face as he decided in that instant that he didn’t just want a kid, he wanted at least two.

 

“Well that's alright Sam, do you two want to get a photo but? I don’t have anything on me to sign but we can get a photo?” Internally scolding himself for forgetting to grab a few of the pocket sized Number 15 cards that he had had made for these type of encounters as the boy's Mother lined them up and pulled out her phone to take the photo before ushering the boys away after and thankyou and high five from both of them.

 

Turning around Jack was met with Eric's face staring at him from half way down the aisle with an unreadable expression on his face as Jack lightly jogged towards him shooting him an apologetic grin as he came to a stop.

 

“Sorry about that Bits, you just can’t turn kids away as much as I would like to sometimes.” suddenly Eric’s face fell for just a second with something akin to sad frustration washing across his features before being schooled back into something more neutral.

 

“Haha, I bet it would be nice to be able to go grocery shopping without having to pose for pictures.” he laughed “Anyway come on before we find anymore kids that want to annoy you, we still need to buy butter.”As Bitty turned away and headed down the aisle it was Jack's face turn to fall, because Eric definitely didn’t want kids and he did.

 

A month later it happens again, they were at a Falconer's team barbeque and Mark one of there defencemen was handing around his increasingly agitated 4 week old son despite the fact that that his wife had been shooting panicked glances across the circle for the last 4 people when the baby was offered to Jack.

 

“That's alright Mark, I’ll pass this time it looks like you wife wants him back anyway” he grinned, letting the smallest amount of chirping into his voice.

 

“What about you Bitty, you want a hold even if your husband is still as terrified of babies as he was when he was just a baby NHL player.” Mark chirped back, turning to Bitty who was currently look, well disgusted to say the least, like not liking children was one thing, but looking at it like it had ruined your life in front of its very proud hockey playing father, not the smartest thing. Luckily Mark took it in his stride drawing back his outstretched baby carrying arms and heading back across the circle to his wife and people who don’t hate babies.

 

Two months have passed since Jack's initial realisation that Eric doesn’t just not want kids of his own, he wants nothing to do with kids at all. Since the barbeque, there have been no less than 3 shopping center incidents, 2 on the morning jog, and the instance where Jack found a newspaper cutout of him kissing a baby scrunched up in Eric’s waste bin. Eric who is currently on his phone Skyping with Chowder as part of their monthly catch up.

 

“Hey Jack, Come over here!” Eric's voice rings down the hall from where he is probably perched on their bed with his phone. Padding down the hallway he enters the room to see Bitty as expected resting against the pillows with his phone out in front of him and Chowders slightly distorted voice filling the room. Glancing up at him for a second Eric patted the space next to him before turning his attention back to the screen.

 

“So like as you know Farmer is due in like 3 weeks and I had a Question for you two...” he nervously asked having never really gotten fully over his freshman hero worship of Jack.

 

“We were wondering if you would like to be this little boy or girls godparents?” Jack let out a gasp, God-parents like Bitty didn’t want kids so this was the next best thing right, he could spoil them and deck them out head to toe in Falconers gear faster than chowder could change it back to sharks gear, and like he could take them to the museum and show them all of the cool exhibits and buy them tickets to go to Disneyland as soon as they were old enough to understand it.

 

“An honour really I just don’t think with Jack’s NHL schedule and the fact that we live on opposite sides of the country, it's probably-” wait Bitty was turning Chowder down, no this was not happening

 

“I’ll do it.” Jack interjected cutting Eric off mid sentence, sure he felt bad but like this was the closest he was ever going to get to having a kid of his own.

 

“Okay apparently we are fine then Chowder, can we um catch up again later I really have to go do something right now.” Bitty looked absolutely crushed, and as Chowder said good bye and hung up Bitty’s bottom lip began to wobble.

 

“Hey, hey I’m sorry I should have double check with you first.” Jack said softly, scooting closer to Bitty as to wrap his arms around his shoulders and pull him into his chest “It’s just I really want kids and I know you don’t so I thought this was the closest I was going to get, but I’m sorry I forced you into this I should have asked.”

 

Suddenly Eric went rigid in his arms, the sobbing subsided and Jack mentally prepared for a rant, Bitty might be a ray of sunshine but when he was angry it was nothing short of terrifying, however looking down he was met no with two angry eyes, but confused ones.

 

“What do you mean I hate kids?”

 

“Well whenever we're around them you get really frustrated and kind of annoyed looking and the other day I found that picture in the newspaper this week of me kissing that baby at the game on saturday scrunched up in the bin?”

 

“But, but I don’t hate kids, you hate kids. You have always said you are terrible with children and when we first started dating you used to complain for hours about kids at signing and you still try to avoid holding people's babies, and it's not just babies you don’t know, at the last barbeque you wouldn’t even hold Marks’ baby so don’t tell me I’m the one who hates babies because I desperately want kids, but no I have to have married Jack Zimmermann the world's biggest Dad who doesn’t want kids.”

 

“You want Kids?” Jack's eyes widened in excitement tears of joy welling up in the corners.

 

“Of course, it's only you who-” suddenly Eric paused realisation dawning all over his face “ we are never telling Shitty about this” he giggled collapsing into Jack's side as a grin spread across his face.

 

“I can’t believe we managed to be more dense to each other's feelings than the debacle of Sophomore/Senior Years.”

 

“I just can’t believe you thought I didn’t want kids.” Bitty Chirped.

 

“I don’t know Bits, you're supposed to be the non-hockey robot one of us, how did the monthly visits to the Children's hospital not tip you off that my opinions had changed.”

 

“You always made it sound like a work charity thing!”

 

“Because I didn’t want you to feel pressure to go?”

 

Bitty knocked his head into Jack's shoulder, a sigh escaping him as he did.

 

“I love kids Jack, I just thought you didn’t. God I can’t believe we were this dumb again”

 

“New rule Bits : we talk about these things, for example I would like at least two children what about you” Jack replied attempting to be serious but unable to stifle his amusement as it bled through.

 

“I like two, two sounds good” Bitty's voice came from where it was muffled on the shoulder of his jumper before he turned, tilting his face up towards Jacks. “I always wanted two” he grinned, sounding wistful as Jack bent down to peck him softly on the lips.

  
Years later when Jack finally retired he stood on center ice with Bitty and their three children, they hadn’t planned for twins.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://jlzimmermann.tumblr.com)


End file.
